Chapter 2 of Animism: Respecting the
Living World engages with various aspects of Ojibwe language. These
include the grammatical distinction between animate and inanimate genders,
seasonal stories and story-telling, ceremonies, greetings and the meaning
of “living well”.

So far, almost every significant discussion of
animism (of the “new” kind) at least refers to the work
of Irving Hallowell among the Ojibwe of Beren's River and what he learnt
about Ojibwe animism. I'll say no more about that here because there's
plenty about Hallowell in the book and the point of this website is
to enhance the discussion rather than repeat it.

I'll be glad to add references to Ojibwe animism
whenever I'm introduced to them. For now, though, I only propose to
illustrate parts of my learning experience among Ojibwe hosts at Lac
du Flambeau, Wisconsin, USA, and elsewhere.

First of all, I've spent some happy and significant
times at Waswagoning,
a recreated traditional village near Lac du Flambeau. I'm grateful to
Nick and Charlotte, and Linda and Bob, who do important and beautiful
things there.

Click
here for Waswagoning's website (but I think its being improved at
present and shows a nice picture of somewhere entire elsewhere just
now! In the meantime, click
here for a good interview with Nick Hocking and some photos).

The Visitor's Center

Part of the village - covered in
protective plastic for the winter

A photo from Waswagoning's brochure

Inside the teaching lodge at Waswagoning

Education about Ojibwe culture and language also
takes place at the reservation school.

Lac du Flambeau school

Tinker's class learning language
(faces blurred)

Elsewhere in Ojibwe territory, the living sacred
rocks of the pipe stone quarry:

Ojibwe animism is not only in evidence among "traditionalists",
a Roman Catholic church in the Twin Cities also demonstrates a degree
of Lakota and Ojibwe respect for all living beings, persons.

the church's altar

the reserve sacrament among sage
and tobacco ties

I had the privilege of collecting sage with the
community. Any doubts about the vitality of respectful behaviour towards
plant-persons disappeared as offered appropriate greetings and gifts
before, during and after picking sage for the community's needs. I'm
not adding pictures of that because I didn't take pictures while we
were picking (partly because I was busy but mostly because it was a
sacred event and I don't photograph ritual). So, while I have photos
from afterwards they're of people standing beside car loads of sage
while we had a drink.

click here to
return to the main "more ethnography"page of my animism site